Laax

The town of Laax is a rural municipality of 1,900 people (2018) composed of several villages in the Surselva valley of Graubunden in Switzerland. Its principal attractions are skiing in the winter, and hiking and mountain biking in the summer. Outside of the villages, the land is split between forest and farms.

Understand

Laax Village in the winter

Laax is somewhat of a sprawling place. Villages are dotted about in meadows and roads wind, hidden by pine trees, snow dumped prettily all over the place. Warm chalets give off wood smoke from their chimneys. The majestic Swiss Alps frown down upon the place. Laax is a different place altogether in the summer, the villages dotted about in white meadows change to green and the lakes fill with glacier melt. Lag da Cauma is the largest natural lake in the area. As always it is approached by a long winding track lined with pines, but at a wooden fence a spectacular view awaits. At the bottom of the bowl lies a lake, which is every shade of blue from aquamarine to navy. Glacial flour gives the lake it’s brilliant blue. A scruffy island floats in the middle whilst pedalos and rowing boats whiz around it stopping at pontoons to deposit swimmers. A little ‘rack and pinion’ railway drops hoards of bathers at lunch and hauls them back at tea. Making a stop at the café on the terrace before plunging in. It is best not to come here on a hot day, as it is busy and it does not make a difference to water temperature. It is a glacial lake for a reason.

Laax is a distinct village, which speaks mainly Romansch and German. Laax is made up of several different villages, including Laax Cons,Salums, Murschetg, Staderas, Uletsch and Vitg. Murschetg is where ski lifts run up the mountain, the main station being Crap Sogn Gion (meaning St. John's Rock, although rather comic in English). It is linked via these lifts to Flims and Falera, the three together form 'Die Alpenarena' or 'Weiße Arena', this refers to the ski resort, yet all the villages retain separate identities. Flims is more of a family place with more gentle runs for beginners, it is more skiing orientated. Laax however is somewhat of a snowboarding mecca in Switzerland. The world's largest half-pipe is situated at the Crap Sogn Gion. Laax is much trendier than Flims or Falera, with the Riders Palace holding regular concerts. Laax Vitg is much more traditional, here is the Laax museum, and the older buildings.

Tourist office

• Via Principala 91, ☏ +41 81 920 81 81, info@flimslaaxfalera.ch. M-F 08:30-12:00, 13:30-17:00, Sa 09:00-12:00, closed mid-October until mid-December. (updated Mar 2017)

Get in

By public transport

Laax can most conveniently be accessed by postal bus from Chur. The trip takes between 40 minutes and 1 hour, depending on whether it is a direct bus or not. There are 1-3 trips an hour depending on the season and the time of the day. The bus goes via Flims. There is also an hourly bus from Illanz which takes around 20 minutes.

By car

The main road through the Surselva goes leads through Laax, so either from Illanz or Chur just follow the main road to Flims. If coming from the A13 express way take the exit Reichenau and follow the signs in direction of Disentis. Coming from the south of the Alps you can approach over the San Bernadino pass (A13) in winter and Oberalp, Lukmanier and Albula passes in summer.

Get around

There is a shuttle bus that runs from Falera all the way to Fidaz (an outer 'suburb' of Flims). This runs only in the winter and is free. Other buses run different routes, mainly connecting districts of Laax or Flims. The Post Bus also runs long some of the route, yet does not connect to Fidaz or Falera.

See

The lake

• Laax Museum. (updated Sep 2016)
• Laax Church. With fine views across the valley (updated Sep 2016)
• Lag da Laax (Laaxersee). Laax Lake is also a great place to swim in the summer. (updated Sep 2016)

Do

Crap Masegn cable car station and skiers

In winter

• 1 Alpenarena (235 km in winter, 28 lifts). Skiing is the major winter activity here. The Alpenarena ski area is shared with Flims and Falera and has its highest point on the glacier at 3018 metres altitude. Skiers are mostly Swiss, but more English is being heard as the place is being discovered more and more by foreigners. From Laax two cable cars, located next to each other, give access to the ski domain. Day pass Fr. 77/26. (updated Mar 2017)
• Swimming the indoor pool in Laax
• Ice-skating on the frozen Laaxersee.Bring your own skates.

In summer

• Hiking
• Mountain biking
• Rafting
• Swimming - There are several gorgeous if cold lakes, Laaxersee and Lag la Cauma.

Buy

• Outdoor gear: being such a sporting place it is only reasonable that there are lots of outdoors sport shops, selling everything from anoraks to skiis. Here is a list of some of the shops:
  • Menzli Sport, Postplatz, ☏ +41 81 921 57 65, fax: +41 81 920 08 81, info@menzlisport.ch. 08:00–12:00, 13:00–18:00. 
  • Meini Sport, RocksResort Signina Center, ☏ +41 81 936 62 00, fax: +41 81 936 62 02, gruber@meini.ch. 

Eat

The mountain Crap Sogn Gion seen from Flims village

• On the Mountain. 
  • Capalari, Crap Sogn Gion (Underneath terrace), ☏ +41 81 927 7334. Same as lift opening times, open 15 December-13 April. Offers delicate, tasty Swiss ski food with Italian influences. Limited/good views. Service can be slow when the restaurant is busy. 
  • Tipi LaVacca, Plaun (Inside the Tipi (teepee)), ☏ +41 81 927 7308. Same as lift opening hours open 15 December-13 April. Steak restaurant situated inside a teepee in the Plaun valley 
  • Tegia Larnags, Larnags. A cosy wooden interior with well lit rafters which serves gourmet ski food. Limited views 
  • Das Elephant, Crap Masegn, ☏ +41 81 927 7390. same as lift hours open 15 December-13 April. Spectacular views and modern Swiss cuisine again with Italian influence . .
  • Restaurant Alpenrose, Startgels, ☏ +41 81 911 5848. same as lift hours, open 15 December-13 April. Solid meat-based restaurant with a traditional menu. Sunny terrace and good views .
• In the Village. 
  • Restaurant Romana, 7031 Via Principala, ☏ +41 81 921 50 55. 
  • Restaurant Zieglers Riva, 7031. 
  • Pizzeria Saporia del Sud. 
  • Restaurant Waldheim, Via Runs 6, ☏ +41 81 921 41 51, fax: +41 81 921 41 51. 
  • Pizzeria Cristallina, Via Uletsch, ☏ +41 81 921 22 52. 
  • Restaurant Seehof, ☏ +41 81 921 41 21, fax: +41 81 921 56 52. 
  • Restaurant Straussennest, Via Salums 516, ☏ +41 81 921 59 71, fax: +41 81 921 68 51. 
  • Mulania (in Hotel Signina), Laax Muschetg

Drink

The Laax superpipe is the world's largest halfpipe

• Crap Bar, Laax-Murschetg, ☏ +41 81 927 99 45, info@laax.ch. 
• Riders Palace, Base Station Laax Murschetg, ☏ +41 81 927 97 00. 

Sleep

• Hotel Capricorn. A real Backpacking place with a genuinely helpful host. 
• RocksResort, Laax Base Station. Stylish apartments available to rent. (updated Jan 2017)
• Signinahotel, ☏ +41 81 927 9999. Linked to the rocks resort, yet in a more traditional hotel format. 

Go next

• There is the rest of the Surselva to explore as well as Graubunden. South of the Alps can be reached by the Lukmanier pass, or the nearby San Bernadino.